Beyond Galápagos Explorer

Arrive at Baltra and board your cruise

Visit Pitt Point, the only location in the Galápagos where all three booby species nest together: blue-footed, red-footed, and Nazca boobies. Later cruise around the dramatic volcanic formation of Kicker Rock before visiting Lobos Island, where large colonies of sea lions, pelicans, and blue-footed boobies thrive. Snorkelling opportunities often include playful interactions with sea lions.

Explore Gardner Bay and Punta Suárez, widely regarded as two of the finest wildlife sites in the entire archipelago. Española is the only breeding site for the world’s population of waved albatrosses. Walk among nesting colonies while observing sea lions, marine iguanas, lava lizards, and swallow-tailed gulls. The island offers some of the most dramatic wildlife viewing opportunities in the Galápagos.

Visit Cormorant Point, home to one of the largest flamingo lagoons in the islands. Continue to Champion Island, one of the best snorkelling locations in the archipelago, where rays, reef fish, and sharks are often seen. Floreana also offers insight into the human history of the islands, including some of the earliest settlements and famous maritime stories.

Travel into the Santa Cruz Highlands to observe giant tortoises roaming freely in their natural habitat. Visit Los Gemelos (Twin Craters) before continuing to the famous Charles Darwin Research Station, where conservation programmes have helped rescue giant tortoise populations from the brink of extinction.

Visit Dragon Hill, famous for its thriving population of Galápagos land iguanas. Continue to Bartolomé Island and climb to the iconic Pinnacle Rock viewpoint, arguably the most famous landscape in the Galápagos. Snorkelling opportunities here often include sea turtles, rays, reef sharks, and occasionally Galápagos penguins.

Explore Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island, often considered the finest birdwatching destination in the archipelago. Genovesa hosts the world’s largest colony of red-footed boobies, alongside frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls, lava herons, and storm petrels. Snorkelling may also reveal hammerhead sharks and fur seals.

Cruise around Daphne Major, one of the most scientifically important islands in the Galápagos. The island was the site of Peter and Rosemary Grant’s famous long-term study of Darwin’s finches, providing some of the strongest evidence for evolution in action. Disembark at Baltra and transfer to the airport for departure.